Fonyo and fiance eager for new beginning

Steve Fonyo, the one-legged athlete who ran across Canadato raise money forcancer research before fallingon hard times, says his upcoming wedding will be the start of a new life.

Fonyo and his fiance, Lisa Greenwood of Delta, B.C., are busy planning their Aug. 28 wedding and packing up their home in Surreyin preparation for a move to Victoria.

"I kind of copied a few things off Lady Diana and Prince Charles," Fonyo said of the wedding preparations. "I'm going to have [Greenwood] in a horse and carriage.

"I want it to be an absolute success. I want it to be big and very exciting. I just want to go all out on it."

The wedding hit a setback earlier this month when news broke that Greenwood was serving a 57-day jail sentencefor theft and assault. Several local businesses that had offered to sponsor the wedding withdrewtheir support.

But with a new sponsor backing the wedding "100 per cent, no matter what," Fonyo and Greenwood are optimistic.

"Apparently, there is a lot of people giving us a lot of support, good support," Greenwood said. "The positive in it is just overwhelming."

In an interview with CBC News, the couple spoke little about Greenwood's legal trouble, saying they are focused on the future.

The wedding will take place on a beach named for Fonyo after he finished his cross-country Journey For Lives there in 1985.

He raised $13 million for cancer research. But the one-time herolaterbattled cocaine addiction and depression and has had several run-ins with the law.

Earlier this year, Fonyo was stripped of the Order of Canada because of his criminal convictions.

But Fonyo said he isn't interested in dwelling on the past.

"All the stuff that I have been through in the past, basically it's just a learning experience and [I] use it for wisdom," he said.

"The main thing is to think ahead and use that in a positive way to just prosper."

Greenwood, too,is eager to move on.

"It's been a pretty hectic time for us it's been hard, really hard, but we're getting through it," she said.

Fonyo saidthe beach named after him, west of Victoria,is the perfect site for his new beginning.

"I've had a few fresh starts but I think this is going to be the last fresh start," he said. "Yeah, I'm getting tired and a little bit wore out."

Fonyo said members of the public are invited to the wedding.